We Could Use Some Hope Here
Intro:
Thankfulness (Luke 17:11–19)
Between Luke 17:10 and 11, the events of John 11 occurred as the Lord Jesus made His way to Jerusalem. At the border of Samaria and Judea, Jesus healed ten lepers at one time, and the fact that the miracle involved a Samaritan made it even more significant (see Luke 10:30–37). Jesus used this event to teach a lesson about gratitude to God.
Not only is this narrative peculiar to Luke, but it also stresses several characteristically Lukan themes. Jerusalem is the goal of Jesus’ journey (cf. 9:51; 13:33); Jesus has mercy on social outcasts; he conforms to Jewish norms by requiring that the lepers go for the required priestly declaration of health (cf. Lev 14); faith and healing should bring praise to God (cf. 18:43; Acts 3:8–9); and the grace of God extends beyond Judaism, with Samaritans receiving special attention (cf. 10:25–37).
4. JESUS’ TEACHING ABOUT THE KINGDOM AND THE ATTITUDES OF HIS DISCIPLES (17:11–19:27)
In this section Luke brought together a series of events in the life of Jesus on His way to Jerusalem. The events teach the kind of attitude disciples should have in view of the coming kingdom.
17:11–12. Leprosy was an unattractive skin disease (not limited to what is called leprosy today) for which the Bible had prescribed quarantine from the rest of society (Lev 13:45–46), although the Bible did not go so far as many Jewish teachers in blaming the disease on the leper’s sin. Lepers were thus outcasts from the rest of society, the kind of people most healthy people preferred to ignore.
A Gentile leper in the region of Samaria who is healed from a distance responds with praise and thanksgiving. It echoes Elisha’s healing of a Gentile (2 Kgs 5:1–19a), which Jesus notes at the beginning of his ministry (4:27).
17:11 as He went to Jerusalem … through … Samaria and Galilee. Luke did not explain the reason for such a circuitous route, but a comparison of the gospels yields several clues. It appears that time elapsed between v. 10 and v. 11. The raising of Lazarus at Bethany, near Jerusalem (John 11) appears to fit into this timeframe. John 11:54 states that after raising Lazarus, to avoid the authorities who were seeking to kill Him, Christ went to “a city called Ephraim”—N of Jerusalem near the border of Samaria. From there he apparently traveled N through Samaria and Galilee one more time, possibly to join friends and family from Galilee who would be making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Passover. From there He would have traveled S by the conventional route, which would have brought Him through Jericho (18:35) to Jerusalem. See notes on 9:51; 13:22.
17:12 lepers. These men were ceremonially defiled and forced to live outside the village (Lev. 13:46; Num. 5:2, 3). They were legally required to stand at a distance, and thus their communication with Christ was by shouting. For a description of leprosy, see note on Lev. 13:2.
13:2 bright spot. This probably refers to inflammation. a leprous sore. This is a term referring to various ancient skin disorders that were sometimes superficial, sometimes serious. It may have included modern leprosy (Hansen’s disease). The symptoms described in vv. 2, 6, 10, 18, 30, and 39 are not sufficient for a diagnosis of the clinical condition. For the protection of the people, observation and isolation were demanded for all suspected cases of what could be a contagious disease. This biblical leprosy involved some whiteness (v. 3; Ex. 4:6), which disfigured its victim but did not disable him. Naaman was able to exercise his functions as general of Syria’s army, although a leper (2 Kin. 5:1, 27). Both OT and NT lepers went almost everywhere, indicating that this disease was not the leprosy of today that cripples. A victim of this scaly disease was unclean as long as the infection was partial. Once the body was covered with it, he was clean and could enter the place of worship (see vv. 12–17). Apparently the complete covering meant the contagious period was over. The allusion to a boil (vv. 18–28) with inflamed or raw areas and whitened hairs may refer to a related infection that was contagious. When lepers were cured by Christ, they were neither lame nor deformed. They were never brought on beds. Similar skin conditions are described in vv. 29–37 and vv. 38–44 (some inflammation from infection). The aim of these laws was to protect the people from disease, but more importantly, to inculcate into them by vivid object lessons how God desired purity, holiness, and cleanness among His people.
13:45 ‘Unclean! Unclean!’ Here are the symbols of grief and isolation. This same cry is heard from the survivors of Jerusalem’s destruction (cf. Lam. 4:15).
13:47–59 Deals with garments worn by infected persons.
13:59 to pronounce it clean or … unclean. The primary purpose of this legislation was to assist the priest in determining the presence of contagious skin disease. The language of the passage indicates disease that affects the clothes as it did the person. This provided more illustrations of the devastating infection of sin and how essential cleansing was spiritually.
Arndt points out that Jesus went to a town called Ephraim after the raising of Lazarus (John 11:54), this being about twenty miles north of Jerusalem. He suggests that when the Passover approached Jesus continued in a northerly direction to join the Galilean pilgrims going up to Jerusalem and that this is where and when our incident is to be located. This is supported by the fact that on his last trip to Jerusalem Jesus went by way of Perea (Matt. 19:1; Mark 10:1), which would be the natural continuation of the journey Luke describes here. The suggestion cannot be proved, but there is nothing improbable about it.
They did not ask specifically for healing, but simply for mercy. However, in the circumstances, there could be little doubt as to what they hoped mercy would bring about.
17:13 have mercy on us. Cf. 16:24; 18:38, 39; Matt. 9:27; 15:22; 17:15; 20:31; Mark 10:47, 48. This was a common plea from those desiring healing.
17:15–19. On their own terms Samaritans were quite pious, but Jewish people considered them irreligious, and religious Jews avoided intimate dealings with them. This tension supplies most of the punch of the story. That a Samaritan would travel with Jewish lepers in the area between Samaria and Galilee (v. 11) also illustrates the extremity of lepers’ outcast status: it erases other social distinctions.
Disciples are to live, looking for the hope of the King’s return, when the promise of the currently inaugurated kingdom is consummated with judgment and the expression of Jesus’ total authority (Luke 17:11–18:8). That coming will be sudden, so be ready. It will be visible, so no one will have to hunt for it. The return will be a time of severe judgment but also a time of vindication for the saints. So in the meantime, disciples should live lives of humility, should devote themselves completely to God because disciples trust all to the Father (18:9–30).
14. Apparently Jesus did not see them at first, but when he did he responded. He did not come to them or touch them. He did not even say, ‘You are cured!’ He told them, leprous as they were, to go and show themselves to the priests, the normal procedure when a leper was cured.
The priest acted as a kind of health inspector to certify that the cure had in fact taken place (Lev. 14:2ff.). Jesus was putting their faith to the test by asking these men to act as though they had been cured. And as they obeyed so it happened: as they went they were cleansed (Fitzmyer has ‘they happened to be made clean’ but this is misleading; there was purpose not chance in what Jesus did).
17:14 show yourselves to the priests. Jesus again follows the Mosaic regulations (5:14; cf. Lev 13:9–17; 14:1–20). they were cleansed. Cleansed not only physically but also “made clean” ritually, so that they can now rejoin the community of God’s people.
17:14 show yourselves to the priests. I.e., to be declared clean (Lev. 13:2, 3; 14:2–32). as they went. The healing was sudden and immediately visible, but occurred after they obeyed His command.
17:14 show yourselves to the priests. I.e., to be declared clean (Lev. 13:2, 3; 14:2–32). as they went. The healing was sudden and immediately visible, but occurred after they obeyed His command.
15–16. The cure immediately awoke a chord of gratitude in one of the ten. He did not wait to be certified fit to rejoin the community, but returned to Jesus when he saw that he was cured. His praising of God shows that he saw the hand of God in the cure and that he was ready to let everybody know about it. When he came to Jesus he acted with humility, prostrating himself as he thanked the Master. Luke now adds the information that he was a Samaritan. Normally Jews and Samaritans had little to do with one another and it is a mark of the horror of leprosy that those suffering from this disease had lived together, ignoring distinctions they would otherwise have seen as compelling. It might have been expected that this Samaritan would have been the last to give thanks to a Jewish healer, but he was the first, and evidently the only one.
14–19 Jesus’ command (v. 14) required obedience based on some faith in the reliability of the speaker (cf. Matt 12:13; Mark 3:5; Luke 6:10). On their way to the priests, the lepers are “cleansed” (ekatharisthēsan). Jesus, however, uses the more comprehensive word “made well” (sesōken, v. 19) on speaking to the Samaritan who returned to give thanks. Though Luke does not say whether the others had faith, it need not be denied them. The stress is on the openly expressed gratitude of the Samaritan, who alone brought praise to God (vv. 15–16).
Once Jesus saw them, he immediately responded. However, this time there was no touch as he had previously given a leper. Neither was there the pronouncement, “Be clean!” (cf. 5:13). He simply told them, leprous as they were, “Go show yourselves to the priests” (v. 14a). The command was to do what a cured leper would do, following the regulations stipulated in Leviticus 14, which required examination by a priest. If they were cured, they would joyfully undergo an eight-day ceremony and then be reunited with their families.
Jesus’ command required faith, and we surmise that not all the lepers were of the same mind. No ten people would be. Some were convinced they should go to the priest immediately. Others demurred. After all, it was a long way to the temple. If Jesus could heal them, why did he not just do it? What fools they would be if they tried to see a priest but were still leprous. On the other hand, they had everything to gain and very little to lose. The consensus was to give it a try. So they set off at their stumbling lepers’ pace.
“And as they went, they were cleansed” (v. 14b). It was a mass healing! There were no mirrors to reflect the dramatic change, but they saw it in each other instantly. From cadaverous faces reemerged ears, noses, eyebrows, lashes, hairlines. Feet—toeless, ulcerated stubs—were suddenly whole, bursting shrunken sandals. Knobby appendages grew fingers. Barnacled skin became soft and supple. It was like ten new-births. The dust of a wild celebration quickly began in the bright sunlight.
This story emphasizes that faith in Jesus (cf. vv. 5–6) results in powerful change and produces a humble, worshipful response to God. This is the difference between the one leper and the other nine. They all asked for God’s mercy (v. 13) but only one was shown to have true understanding faith, as shown by his casting himself with thankfulness at Jesus’ feet. So too for us. Our worshipful response—or lack thereof—reflects the depth of our understanding of God’s mercy and goodness. The first and greatest response to the gospel of grace is thankful worship. This brings the greatest glory to God and brings wholeness to us as well.
We are also told, strikingly, that the one who returned to give thanks to Jesus was a Samaritan—a despised outsider. Here, as all through Luke, we see the upside-down reversal that the gospel brings. The kingdom of God inverts the world’s values and welcomes anyone, if they will simply repent and believe the good news, relying on Jesus alone for a new and eternal life.
17:18 foreigner. Greek allogenēs; occurs only here in the NT. An inscription that warns Gentiles not to enter the temple proper uses the same word (see photo, p. 1740). This foreigner cannot enter the Jerusalem temple, but he can worship Jesus, the Son of God.
17:15–19. Only one of the men—a foreigner, that is, a Samaritan—came back to thank Jesus. This one understood the significance of what had been done for him. He was praising God and he threw himself at Jesus’ feet, a posture of worship. He apparently understood that Jesus is God, for he placed faith in Him. Whether or not he understood that Jesus is the Messiah is not mentioned by Luke. The lack of gratitude by the other nine was typical of the rejection of His ministry by the Jewish nation. He alone had the power to cleanse the nation and make it ceremonially clean. However, the nation did not respond properly to Him. The nation accepted the things that Jesus could do (such as heal them and feed them), but it did not want to accept Him as Messiah. However, those outside the nation (such as this Samaritan leper—a person doubly repulsive to the Jews) were responding.
Presumably the other nine had faith also, for this was the common (though not invariable) prerequisite of Jesus’ miracles. But certainly this Samaritan had faith and he had gratitude. It is possible that we should take the verb to mean more than cure: it is literally ‘has saved you’. It may be that Jesus recognized in this man the faith that issues in salvation and so he sent him off with the assurance that it was well with his soul as it was with his body. Full restoration means a saved soul as well as a sound body.
Luke’s account closes with one unusual man (Luke 17:15–19). The Samaritan shouted “Glory to God!” and fell at Jesus’ feet to praise Him and give thanks.
It would have been logical for him to have followed the other men and gone to the temple, but he first came to the Lord Jesus with his sacrifice of praise (Ps. 107:22; Heb. 13:15). This pleased the Lord more than all the sacrifices the other men offered, even though they were obeying the Law (Ps. 51:15–17). Instead of going to the priest, the Samaritan became a priest, and he built his altar at the feet of Jesus (read Ps. 116:12–19).
By coming to Jesus, the man received something greater than physical healing: he was also saved from his sins. Jesus said, “Your faith has saved you” (literal translation), the same words He spoke to the repentant woman who anointed His feet (Luke 7:50). The Samaritan’s nine friends were declared clean by the priest, but he was declared saved by the Son of God! While it is wonderful to experience the miracle of physical healing, it is even more wonderful to experience the miracle of eternal salvation.
First he said thank you to God: “One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice” (v. 15). Earlier he had loudly pled for healing, and now he was loud with his praise. The Greek for “loud voice” is recognizable to the English ear, for it is the two words from which we get megaphone, here reversed phonēs megalēs. He was mega-voiced in his praise to God.
The human Jesus (who had placed his omniscience at his Father’s discretion) expected all ten to return, glorifying God, and then to receive the ultimate blessing he had prepared for them. Jesus was disappointed!
But evidently the other nine lepers were so caught up in their new wholeness that it did not occur to them to return to Jesus. This is understandable at one level. After all, Jesus had told them to show themselves to the priests. Of course they were thankful. How could they be otherwise? And they were deeply happy. And they were eager to get back into everyday life.
Are we sympathetic with their not returning to Jesus? There is a deadly problem here—God was not the center of their gratitude. Note Jesus’ final question: “Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” (v. 18). Only the foreigner, the Samaritan, gave praise to God! The other nine were so earthbound, so like the shrewd manager and the rich man of the preceding parables, that they missed the spiritual dimension altogether. Vague gratitude to divinity was not an adequate response to what had happened. Christ wanted their hearts! By failing to glorify God and returning to thank Jesus, they missed the greatest possible moment of their existence.
The account closes with Jesus’ sovereign pronouncement to the Samaritan: “Rise and go; your faith has made you well” (v. 19). The Greek in the last part of verse 19 is literally, “Your faith has saved you.” This is the studied opinion of the three most prominent Lukan scholars in the world, men of diverse traditions. I. H. Marshall, Senior Lecturer in New Testament Exegesis at the University of Aberdeen, writes, “His faith has been the means of his cure and his salvation.” Joseph A. Fitzmyer, a professor at Catholic University of America and a past president of the Society of Biblical Literature, translates unequivocally, “Your faith has brought you salvation.”7 And John Nolland of Trinity College Bristol writes, “But as much of a foreigner as he might be, this man is now sent off by Jesus as a person who has experienced the salvation that Jesus came to bring. None of the others, despite their new-found freedom from leprosy, receives this special blessing.”
There are eternal lessons here for us. Certainly we must understand that no one is saved by virtue of having a pleasant, optimistic, or thankful spirit. Jesus is not teaching salvation by disposition. But Jesus is teaching that where there is true faith there are profoundly thankful hearts.